The maximum best instance of caste is determined in India not in our present age, but at that point in the past when the caste system was at its height. Some of the significant characteristics of the caste system are as follows:
Segmental Division of Society
The public is separated into diverse small friendly groups called castes. Each of these castes is a well-developed group, the membership of which is determined by birth. Children belong to the caste of their parents.
Caste membership is an undeniable and unalterable fact through which an individual’s position within the social structure is determined. The membership of a person does not change even if changes in his status, occupation, education, wealth, etc. occur.
Since membership is lifelong, there is no social mobility. However, as mentioned by M. N. Srinivas, a low caste has been able over time to elevate itself in the hierarchy, after acquiring economic and political power, by adopting Brahmanic customs and ways.
Hierarchy
Hierarchy is a ladder in which the lower rungs are encompassed by the higher ones in a regular progression. The castes demonstrate a fundamental social principle of hierarchy.
Castes form a hierarchy, being arranged in an order of superiority and inferiority. At the apex of this hierarchy is the Brahmin caste and at the lowest is the untouchable caste. In between are the intermediate castes, the exact positions of which are not always clear. As such, disputes among the members of these castes over the social rank of their respective castes are not uncommon.
Hierarchy is viewed as the principle by which the elements of a whole are ranked in relation to the whole. It is believed that in most societies, it is the religion that provides the view of the whole. Thus, ranking assumes a religious dimension.
Endogamy
The most crucial feature of the caste system is endogamy. All scholars agree that endogamy is the essential characteristic of caste, i.e., members of a caste or sub-caste must marry within their caste or sub-caste. Violation of the rule of endogamy would mean ostracism and loss of caste. Although endogamy is the general rule for a caste, Anomie and Pratiloma marriage, i.e., Hypergamy and hypogamy, were also common in certain cases.
Inherited Status
Membership of a caste is determined by birth, and the individual inherits the status of the caste in which he is born. In this regard, Ketkar wrote that caste is confined only to those individuals who are born of the members of that caste. Thus, membership in the caste is hereditary, and the membership undergoes no change, even if changes occur in his caste, occupation, education, and wealth.
Hereditary Occupation
The traditional caste system is characterised by hereditary occupation. Members of a specific caste are expected to follow the profession designated for the caste. Traditionally, a Brahmin was allowed to function as a priest. In some systems, the name of the caste is based on the profession, e.g., Napita (barber), Dhobi, Mochi, Mali, and others.
Restriction on Food and Drink
There are rules about what types of food or drinks can be consumed by an individual and from which castes. Typically, a caste would not accept cooked food from any other caste that stands lower than itself on the social scale. An individual belonging to a higher caste believes he gets polluted even by the shadow of a person belonging to a lower caste or by accepting food or drink from him.
Social Distinction
Since each caste has its set of rules regarding endogamy, contamination purity, and occupational specialisation, each caste develops its culture since the behaviour of the individual is governed by the requirements of his caste. Tradition states that it is better for a person to follow the ‘dharma’ (spiritual duty) of his caste, regardless of how low, than the ‘dharma’ of another caste, no matter how esteemed. The result has been a distinct ‘way of life’ for different castes.
Social Segregation
Social segregation is a feature of caste discrimination.
According to Ghurye, “Segregation is more severe in the South than in the North.” In the Tamil and Malayalam regions, often distinct castes occupy separate quarters. Sometimes the village is divided into three parts occupied by the dominant caste or by Brahmins, allocated to the Shudras, and the third reserved for the Panchamas or untouchables.
The Concept of Pollution
The concept of pollution plays a vital role in maintaining the specified distance between different castes. Where the two castes involved belong to both extremes of the hierarchy, the lower caste individual is expected to maintain a minimum distance from the higher caste individual. A high-caste individual won’t touch a low-caste individual, let alone accept cooked food and water from him. The pollution distance varies from one caste to another and from one region to another.
A Particular Name
Each caste has a specific name by which it can be identified. Sometimes, a profession is also associated with a particular caste. We can understand the profession or occupation of a caste with the help of the name of the caste.
Jati Panchayat
The dignity of each caste is safeguarded not only by caste laws but also by conventions. These are strictly enforced by the community. In every region of India, there is a governing body or council called Jati Panchayat.
These Panchayats in different regions and castes are named in a specific manner, including Kuldriya in Madhya Pradesh and Jokhila in South Rajasthan. Some of the offences dealt with by it include adultery, violation of any of the prescribed restrictions, killing of sacred animals (the cow), and insulting a Brahmin. The punishments meted out include ostracism, fines, feasts to be given to the caste members, etc.
No
Another fundamental feature of the caste system is the no (prohibition) through which the higher castes try to maintain their ceremonial purity and seek to eliminate the possibilities for wrongs believed to exist in all of us. These possibilities are believed to be more active and harmful to others in certain life crises.
The most contemporary prohibitions whose observance by the traditional Hindus often involved various cumbersome observances include the food no, which indicates the types of food that a person may eat.
The cooking prohibition defines the individuals who may cook food. The eating prohibition may lay down the ritual to be observed at meals. The commensal prohibition relates to the individual with whom one may eat food. Finally, the prohibition deals with the type of vessel (whether made from clay, copper, or brass) that one may use for drinking or cooking.
A unique name, a specific profession, a hereditary membership, commensality, etc. are the fundamental features of a caste association. Some sociologists defined caste in terms of the closed social system, meaning there is no room for mobility. Caste has been defined as a ritual and an ideology, meaning we are referring to the social aspect of castes.
Caste is not just a group but also a social institution in the sense that caste is a distinct way of life that differentiates one caste from another.
Restrictions on Interaction
In the caste system, there are several restrictions on interaction. Members of one caste cannot mix or move freely with members of other castes. This prohibition on interaction becomes even more rigid when the question of mixing a superior caste with an inferior one comes to the fore. Each caste abides by well-established customs and well-defined rules of interaction.
Social and Religious Disabilities
In a rigid caste system, members of a higher caste impose certain disabilities and rules on other castes as well as on themselves. In the Hindu caste system, the Brahmins are the most privileged caste, and the Sudras are the least privileged. A Sudra could not touch a person belonging to a higher caste.
Individuals belonging to the lowest caste in the hierarchical order are not allowed to live in the cities and purchase property in the areas occupied by the high caste individuals. They are not even allowed to visit temples and worship there. They are also prohibited from studying religious books. They are also not allowed to use village wells or ponds used by the higher castes.